Round 30 Preview – League Two Men’s
The final round of the 2024 Football NSW season arrives with two teams in contention for the all-important 2nd-placed finish to secure a shot at promotion in the promotion-relegation play-off, while the Newcastle Jets will look to complete an unprecedented unbeaten season in Round 30.
The Match of the Round this week will focus on the team in prime position to take 2nd this season when 2nd-placed Mounties travel to face 8th-placed Parramatta FC.
Before that, however, there was a crucial clash between 2nd-placed Mounties Wanderers FC and 4th-placed Inner West Hawks FC, which had big play-off ramifications.
Tuesday, 20th August 2024
Mounties Wanderers FC 4-0 Inner West Hawks FC
Mounties Wanderers FC stormed into 2nd place and ended Inner West Hawks FC’s hopes of promotion with a statement 4-0 home win over the Hawks.
Fikret Berisha started the scoring for Mounties in the 26th minute before Mitchell Gibbs gave the hosts a 2-0 lead at half-time with his 39th minute goal.
Despite five early changes for the Hawks in the second half, they had their hopes all-but shattered when an own goal by Taro Regan Williams gave Mounties a strong 3-0 lead in the 67th minute.
Nikola Todoroski converted a penalty in the 87th minute which meant Mounties took another step towards the promotion-relegation play-off with a 4-0 win.
The win for Mounties moved them up into 2nd on 58 points, one point ahead of 3rd-placed Bankstown United FC, while the loss for the Hawks ended their chances of potential promotion as they were guaranteed a 4th-placed finish, on 52 points, five ahead of and behind 5th-placed Central Coast United FC and 3rd-placed Bankstown United FC, respectively.
Mounties have their destiny in their own hands and will hope to capitalise when they travel to face 8th-placed Parramatta FC in the final round, while the Hawks will hope to end their season on a high when they host 7th-placed Hurstville FC.
Now onto the final round of action.
Saturday, 24th August 2024
Match of the Round: Parramatta FC vs Mounties Wanderers FC, 5pm at Melita Stadium
Previous Meeting: Mounties Wanderers FC 4-1 Parramatta FC
2nd-placed Mounties Wanderers FC put themselves in prime position for the promotion-relegation play-off following their mid-week win over Inner West Hawks FC and know a victory against 8th-placed Parramatta FC in the final round would secure a spot in the play-off.
Mounties proved to be too strong for the Eagles in their Round 15 matchup, with goals early, in the middle and late in the match giving them a 4-1 home success, which they will hope to replicate away as they chase ultimate glory.
Parramatta suffered their first loss in five weeks after their 4-2 loss to Bankstown United FC last week but will hope to return to form as they hunt a top-half finish this season, being just one point behind 7th-placed Hurstville FC on 36 points.
They have found goals in those past five matches, with 16 goals scored, while they have also had defensive resilience with two clean sheets in those matches.
Parramatta will hope to set up strongly, starting from the back with Tarek Elrich, through to their firepower up front as they look to potentially finish the season in the top-half and have their say on the battle for promotion this season.
Mounties, meanwhile, will hope to make the most of their pole position for 2nd when they make the short 22-minute trip from their home to Parramatta’s for this crucial clash.
Nikola Todoroski has scored four goals from his last three matches and with Mounties having scored 10 goals from their past three matches since the bye, they have continued to make the most of the losses from the teams around them.
A win for Mounties would secure a 2nd-placed finish on 61 points, while a loss or a draw would mean they would finish 3rd if Bankstown manage to defeat South Coast Flame FC in their match the day before – Mounties will know their fate and what they will need to do before they play, which they will hope will be an advantage as they chase 2nd.
With a top-half finish and pride up for grabs for Parramatta and a shot at promotion at stake for Mounties with destiny in their own hands, both teams will put in a big effort in the final round of the season to secure a big three points.
Friday, 23rd August 2024
Camden Tigers FC vs Granville Rage, 7:30pm at Ron Dine Memorial Reserve – Carbiz Stadium
Previous Meeting: Granville Rage 0-5 Camden Tigere FC
10th-placed Camden Tigers FC will look to end the season on a high note when they host 9th-placed Granville Rage, with a head-to-head record which Camden will want to continue, and the Rage will want to break.
Camden put in a five-star performance in a 5-0 away win in Round 15 and will hope to complete the league double for the second season in a row as they look to continue their strong winning streak over the Rage, following 4-2 and 5-1 wins last season over Granville.
The Tigers suffered their first loss in three weeks, 3-0 away to Inner West Hawks FC last week, and will hope to turn that result around as they look to continue their positive end to the season.
Camden has risen three spots on the ladder in recent weeks and find themselves in a spot where they are all-but guaranteed a 10th-placed finish regardless of results swinging massively against them on the weekend.
Expect the Tigers to play with freedom, with the likes of Bailey Simpson and Avisai Vunisasaro looking to add more goals to end the season, as the Tigers look to have a positive last match of the year.
Granville Rage, meanwhile, return from their bye in Round 29 following a ladder-defining win over Bankstown United FC the week before and will hope to hunt down a top-half finish when they take on the Tigers.
The players will be fired up and will know they can take the match to anyone after their win over Bankstown and will look to the likes of Asmir Kadric, Ante Tomic and Timothy Borg-Williams to provide them with a platform for back-to-back wins for the first time since Round 20.
A win for the Rage could give them a 7th, 8th, or 9th-placed finish this season depending on other results, while they cannot finish any lower than their current position of 9th.
With Camden having a good head-to-head streak over Granville and the Rage looking to finish in the top half of the table, expect both sides to give their all to end the season as they chase a big three points.
Bankstown United FC vs South Coast Flame FC, 8pm at Padstow Park
Previous Meeting: South Coast Flame FC 2-1 Bankstown United FC
3rd-placed Bankstown United FC have their own destiny out of their hands but will hope to grab a crucial win to end the regular season when they host 6th-placed South Coast Flame FC, with a spot in the promotion-relegation play-off potentially up for grabs if Bankstown grab the victory.
The Flame came from a goal down to secure a late 2-1 home win over Bankstown in the Round 15 reverse fixture and would love to have their say on the battle for 2nd when they travel to face Bankstown in the final round.
Bankstown had their fate taken out of their own hands following Mounties’ win over Inner West Hawks mid-week but will hope to put the pressure on Mounties for a shot at promotion given they play first of the two teams this weekend.
Mitchell Cross has wrapped up the Golden Boot race, with it being a matter of ‘by how much?’ – he sits on 34 goals for the season, nine ahead of Mounties’ Yuki Kanai on 25, and would love to have a chance at promotion to go with his award.
A draw for Bankstown would not be enough, given their +27 goals difference versus the +50 goal difference of Mounties, so they must win, and hope Mounties do not defeat Parramatta in their matchup, or else the season will end in heartbreak in a 3rd-placed finish.
South Coast Flame, meanwhile, let a 3-1 lead slip late in their 3-3 away draw to Hawkesbury City FC but would love to have their say on the battle for promotion to end the season.
Michael Trajkovski has a chance to finish 2nd in the top goal scorer standings this season – he sits on 24 for the year, one behind Mounties’ Yuki Kanai and one ahead of Inner West’s Takuma Hirano on 23.
A win for the Flame could give them a 5th-placed finish ahead of a team from up the coast in Central Coast United FC, while a loss would mean they finish in 6th, which would be a marked improvement on last season.
With a shot at the promotion-relegation play-off up for grabs for Bankstown, and a top-five finish on the line for the Flame, both teams will put all their energy into this last regular season match of the year.
Saturday, 24th August 2024
Hawkesbury City FC vs Newcastle Jets, 5:30pm at David Bertenshaw Field
Previous Meeting: Newcastle Jets 6-0 Hawkesbury City FC
12th-placed Hawkesbury City FC will be out to be the villain to the Newcastle Jets’ fairytale season when they host the Premiers in a bid to end their unbeaten season at the last hurdle, while the Jets will hope to create history by completing that unbeaten season.
The Jets hit Hawkesbury for six in their last encounter earlier in the season with the sides also in 1st and 12th on that day, too, and will hope to step up in their bid for an unbeaten season when they travel to Bensons Lane.
Hawkesbury scored two goals in the final ten minutes in their 3-3 draw at home to South Coast Flame FC last week and will be hopeful of ending their five-match winless streak to end the season on a big high.
Hawkesbury did beat the Jets 2-0 at home in Round 30 last season, with a double to Vincent D’Ermilio the deciding factor in that match, and they will hope to channel that energy to put an end to the Jets’ unbeaten season and spoil their party.
A win for Hawkesbury would give them pride and could also mean they finish the season in 11th if other results go their way – the Hawks will be ready to take flight against the Jets.
The Newcastle Jets, meanwhile, continued their unbelievable unbeaten season after they came from behind twice to defeat Fraser Park FC 5-3 at home last week and will be ready to fire up as they hunt an unprecedented unbeaten season.
The depth and fitness levels of the Newcastle squad has been tested in recent weeks, with many players training with the A-League Men’s team, but the Jets have found a way to still win in what has been a month of high-scoring matches for them.
They stand to win the league by a minimum of 10 points, regardless of the result, but the Jets will hope to give their players and fans something to remember, a legacy, by going through an entire home-and-away league season undefeated.
With Hawkesbury out to spoil the Jets’ unbeaten season, will history from Round 30 last year repeat itself or will the Jets be able to put a golden seal on their unprecedented title triumph?
Inner West Hawks FC vs Hurstville FC, 7pm at Arlington Oval
Previous Meeting: Hurstville FC 1-0 Inner West Hawks FC
4th-placed Inner West Hawks FC will hope to put the disappointment of missing a shot at a 2nd-placed finish this season when they host 7th-placed Hurstville FC to end the season.
A lone goal from Daniel Maras in the reverse fixture gave Hurstville a 1-0 win at home and Hurstville will hope to go a fourth head-to-head match unbeaten against the Hawks when they travel to Arlington this weekend.
Inner West Hawks had their promotion hopes end mid-week in their 4-0 away loss to 2nd-placed Mounties Wanderers FC but will hope to put that disappointment behind them as they look to end their positive season on a high.
The Hawks will hope to use their power up front, with Takuma Hirano still in for a shot of finishing as the season’s second-highest goal scorer – he has 23 goals in his debut season in the competition and would love to end his season on a high.
Compared to their last-placed finish last season, the Hawks have had a positive 2024 and will hope to end that on a positive note at the weekend.
Hurstville FC, meanwhile, returned to winning ways following their 3-0 away success over Central Coast United FC and would love to secure a top-half finish in 2024 with a win over the Hawks.
With a squad full of fitness and positivity ahead of the final round and then beyond for next season, Hurstville will look to play without fear as they chase a top-half finish.
A win for Hurstville would put them on 40 points and secure 7th, while a loss could see them drop to as low as 9th to end the year.
With the Hawks looking to cap off what has been a positive year and Hurstville hoping to end the season in the top half of the table, both sides will want to give their all one last time in 2024.
Fraser Park FC vs Sydney University SFC, 7pm at Fraser Park
Previous Meeting: Sydney University SFC 2-2 Fraser Park FC
14th-placed Sydney University SFC will hope to end their season on a high note, as will 13th-placed Fraser Park FC, when the two meet at Fraser Park to end the season.
University came from two goals down to secure a 2-2 home draw in the reverse fixture and will hope to win their first match in four attempts against Fraser Park when they make the short 15-minute trip.
Fraser Park took the lead twice against the Premiers, the Newcastle Jets, away from home before succumbing to a 5-3 loss last week and will be confident of bringing more of that early attacking play back home against University.
Despite being seven matches without a win, Fraser Park showed many positive signs last week which they will hope to further develop in their final match of the season and will hope to go a fourth-straight head-to-head match unbeaten against University.
A win or a draw for Fraser Park could see them end the season as high as 11th, while a loss would guarantee a 13th-placed finish.
Sydney University, meanwhile, took the match to Mounties in their 3-1 home loss last week but will be hopeful of having a positive end to their season as they hunt a second win from three matches to do so.
With plenty of positives to build on ahead of next season, the students will hope to give all their energy against a side they have not beaten in their past three attempts.
With University consigned to a 14th-placed finish, their players will hope to highlight their skills one last time ahead of the challenges which will lay ahead next season.
A head-to-head streak is there to be protected or broken for Fraser Park and Sydney University, respectively, and both sides will want the three points to end the season on a positive note.
Prospect United SC vs Central Coast United FC, 7pm at Blacktown Exercise Sports and Technology Hub
Previous Meeting: Central Coast United FC 3-0 Prospect United SC
11th-placed Prospect United SC will hope to end the season with back-to-back wins when they host a 5th-placed Central Coast United FC side looking to secure a 5th-placed finish.
The Pirates ran out 3-0 winners at home over Prospect in their Round 15 clash and will hope to complete the league double when they travel to face them on the final weekend.
Prospect ended their seven-match winless streak in their come-from-behind 4-2 victory over Gladesville Ryde Magic last week and would love to end the season with back-to-back wins, which they have not achieved since Round 14.
They will take the confidence from their win into the final week, where they will hope to grab a big win over a formidable side this season in Central Coast.
A win for Prospect would secure an 11th-placed finish, while a loss could see them end the season as low as 13th.
Central Coast United, meanwhile, had their five-match winning streak end abruptly in their 3-0 home loss to Hurstville FC and will hope to end the season on a positive note to secure a 5th-placed finish.
Following their strong run of form, the Pirates will hope it was just a blip and they are able to end their season on a high note as they look to build towards next season.
A win for Central Coast would guarantee a 5th-placed finish, while a loss could see them drop to 6th depending on other results.
With both teams coming off contrasting results and hoping to end 2024 on a positive note, both teams will be full of energy for the final matchday of the season.
Gladesville Ryde Magic have a bye in Round 30 and will finish the season in 15th place on 12 points.
By Football New South Wales League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa (@_dylancosta)
